Sustainability of new wellness center highlighted at community meeting

Sustainability of new wellness center highlighted at community meeting

Capital Planning, Design and Construction met Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Jack Adams Hall with the campus community to discuss the sustainability features of the new Mashouf Wellness Center.

The $85.6 million Mashouf Wellness Center will include cutting-edge water and energy efficiency, and plans to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We think this will not only promote health and wellness on SF State’s campus, but will also bring together the students of SF State to create a greater sense of community,” said Cameron Morgan, an environmental studies major and one of the sport clubs student managers for the campus recreation department. “As a student, I am not only excited for the building, but the way in which it’s being built.”

Architects working on the facility were present to answer questions about the design and sustainability.

“In our research, there are only two other student rec centers in the country that are LEED Platinum, and so this would be the third,” said Mitch Fine, project architect and manager. “This is very important, not just to the community, but to the students. It’s something that they felt really strongly about, and it’s something that we wanted to help them achieve.”

Water conservation plans brought up in the meeting include recovering 10,000 gallons of water per week from pool filter backwash and 4,700 gallons of water per week from shower and lavatory fixtures, according to the Mashouf Wellness Center website.

Energy conservation plans include solar tubes that will provide natural lighting, displacement diffusers designed to provide heating and cooling, and a variable air system to maximize cooling. The website also claims the energy-efficient lighting will help reduce energy consumption by 36.7 percent. An 18,000 square foot area on the roof will be dedicated to a 295 kilowatt solar panel system, producing 354,000 kilowatt hours per year. That means this facility would have more than 51 percent savings in electricity over baseline.

There are also plans for drought tolerant plants to surround the center that will need little to no irrigation, but water drainage systems would provide the little water the plants need.

“I feel like the Mashouf Wellness Center will help add to activity space in bringing people together and building community,” said Pam Su, the director of campus recreation. “It’s really about student success and helping students be successful inside and outside of the classroom.”

According to the SF State website, in addition to the energy-efficient features, plans for the new 118,700-square-foot facility include a climbing wall, a two-court gymnasium, swimming pools, an elevated jogging track, cardio and weight training facilities, exercise studios, racquetball courts, a massage therapy room and an outdoor recreation center.

The Mashouf Wellness Center will be built at the corner of Font and Lake Merced Boulevards, and construction began in August 2015. The project is estimated to be completed sometime in 2017.

This $86.5 million facility is primarily funded by students through a fee already included in tuition costs and donations.

Manny Mashouf, a political science alumnus of SF State and the founder and chairman of Bebe Stores Inc., donated $10 million to the center, the largest donation SF State has ever received.

Students will be able to access the center at no cost, but certain luxuries such as massage therapy and equipment rental will be at an added cost. Alumni memberships to the facility are also in progress.

“I graduated last May; I’m really excited for something like this on campus, and I think that it’s a step in the right direction,” SF State alumnus Miguel Guerrero said at the meeting.’

A model of the Mashouf Welness Center, named after SF State alumnus Manny Mashouf, on display at a meeting organized by the Capital Planning, Design and Construction Group, Tuesday Feb. 23.. (Madeline Manson / Xpress)

goodmaab

June 20, 2016

Once again, what about the residents (including students) living in Parkmerced and their loss of use of the prior (tennis courts, open space, basketball court, community center, and handball court. (Free Pass) sounds appropriate or min. fee for PUBLIC access to the prior PUBLIC open space it served....

Comments are closed.

Leave a comment

We’re writing about students and their commutes. Help us tell your story through this survey.